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July 10, 2015

New poll shows lackluster backing for Olympics

A new poll is showing lackluster support for a Boston Olympics bid. A WBUR poll released Friday morning showed 42 percent of those surveyed statewide said they support hosting the games in the Boston area, with 50 percent opposed. That's barely up from the 39-49 split in June.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s a whole lot of movement right now” on public support, Steve Koczela, with The MassINC Polling Group, which conducted the survey for WBUR, said in a report posted on the radio station’s website. “But sometimes these small movements are evidence of a beginning of a trend.”

In response to the new numbers, Richard Davey, CEO of the local Olympic organizing group Boston 2024, told WBUR’s Morning Edition on Friday that it’s “fair to say that we’ve got some work to do.” But, he added, “the good news is I think it has moved a bit and we’ve got time to continue to get our message out,” WBUR reported.

The poll numbers showed little movement within the Boston area. Only 40 percent indicated they support the bid – the same as in an April poll. But the percentage of those opposed grew from 50 percent to 53 percent, WBUR reported.

In a statement responding to the poll numbers, the group No Boston Olympics said the results are clear that voters don’t support Boston 2024 “and do not trust the boosters to protect scarce tax dollars.

“Nearly two in three voters do not believe the boosters' claims that the Games would turn a profit rather than produce a deficit. Boston 2024 has spent more than $14 million to sell its bid, but it is pushing a product that Massachusetts voters just don't want," a statement from the group read.

Material from State House News Service was used in this report.

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